Timber used in a skiff deck

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Timber used in a skiff deck

Postby Admin » 11 Mar 2009, 16:09

This an active thread from the old board transferred here for continuity when the Board was transferred across.

kaos:
Hi guys,
Can someone give me a heads up on the timber used in building the decks on Lewis or Everingham skiffs, especially the side cockpit beams.
Would like to know the thickness of the deck ply and beams and the type of timber used to form the deck structure.
Cheers,
Raymond.


Darren:
Hi Raymond,
Deck and cockpit timbers varied between era's and builders.
Some are no longer available much to the despair of restorers today.
Maybe the most common cockpit structures were African Mahogany and Silver Ash.
Deck sheeting was Straight cut Sapele and African Mahogany ply.
Brunzeel brand which was most common has not been available for decades.
A fair replication (for AM) is crown cut Sapele, this veneer is bonded to traditional Marine ply base.
Deck thicknesses also varied between size and builders but generally no thinner than 7mm or 1/4.
Lewis and Everingham built their decks differently....look at lots of Skiff pics
Hope this is a start
Darren


bootlegger:
The deck beams on FF Sure are maple. The cockpit beams on FF are Ash with red cedar cappings while Renegades are Red Cedar with silver Ash cappings. The decks on both boats are Mahogany ply.

kaos:
scrubcat.jpg
scrubcat.jpg (48.41 KiB) Viewed 5125 times

Hi Guys, am planning to try and replicate the theme of Scrubcat's deck, I checked out some some veneers today and found the lightest timber finnish was an ash, the darker timber for the king plank and deck border I have not decided on yet as I am still not 100% on the hull colour, but it will be dark to contrast the deck.
Thanks heaps for the timber information provided by Dave and Darren as I had no idea of the types of timbers used, just an idea of the finnish I wanted.
I really like the bat wings and styling of the cockpit sides of Scrubcat, forward of the driver cockpit opening I will choose the traditional Lewis engine bay sides that slope gently down to meet the deck line at the engine bay opening.
Scrubcat was not a Lewis, but was a bonded timber clinker hull that I heard was very strong, and that there were not many of these made.

bootlegger:
Raymond. That timber on the cockpit sides looks like Maple

Bob Vic:
I always believed that hull to be a Lewis. And I also recall that the deck was painted a very pale yellow witrh burgundy trim colour around the perimeter. This looks very much like Miss Chief around the cockpit area and that was a David Gill hull.
Darren do you have the definitive answer?
Bob

cawpb:
Miss Chiff II.jpg
Miss Chiff II.jpg (59.01 KiB) Viewed 5123 times

Here is a picture of Miss Chif II, which is a Gill hull.
Greg

kaos:
Actually David Gill rings a bell, I will quiry my dad as he is very good friends with Jack Long (Scrubby).

Bob Vic:
David Gill is still building ski boats (fibreglass) at his Croydon factory. I've not seen Dave for a while but last time I spoke to him about his days of timber boat building he was more than forthcomiung with information & very helpful. You can call David on 03 9725 0011.

Check this link for some good pics of Scrubcat and Miss Chif, both built by David Gill. http://gilflite.com.au/index.php?module=docs&id=14

Bob

Darren:
Bob,
If you are seeking a definitive answer.
I can almost say, with some certainty, I am 99.9% sure.
That Scrubcat is a David Gill Hull.
I am fairly sure the next one was a Lewis.
Some guy in in the bayside suburbs is doing the slowest restoration in history
at the moment on it.
Darren

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